Why fake news is bad

Face it: It has been an abusive time, to use a word he likes to wield. In his telling, of course, it’s he or his people who are always the abused ones and they – the “fake news media” – are the abusers. But let’s be honest. You’ve been abused, too, and so have I. All of us have, and by that same fake news media. It isn’t complicated, really. Thanks to them, to those cable news talking heads who never stop yammering about him, to the reporters who clamor over his every word or twitch, he’s always there, 24/7. I know that it’s still called covering the news, but it’s a phrase that no longer faintly fits the situation. Yes, a near majority of Americans voted for him as president, but no one voted to make him a living (and living-room) icon, a never-ending presence not just in our world, but in all our private worlds, too. The dailyReport Must-reads from across Asia - directly to your inbox Never, … [Read more...] about The Donald and the fake news media: an affair to remember

By David Bauder The Associated Press Thu., Aug. 16, 2018 NEW YORK—Newspapers from Maine to Hawaii pushed back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s attacks on “fake news” Thursday with a co-ordinated series of editorials speaking up for a free and vigorous press. The Boston Globe, which set the campaign in motion by urging the unified voice, had estimated that some 350 newspapers would participate. They did across the breadth of the country. The Portland (Maine) Press-Herald said a free and independent press is the best defence against tyranny, while the Honolulu Star-Advertiser emphasized democracy’s need for a free press. “The true enemies of the people — and democracy — are those who try to suffocate truth by vilifying and demonizing the messenger,” wrote the Des Moines Register in Iowa. In St. Louis, the Post-Dispatch called journalists “the truest of patriots.” The Chicago Sun-Times said it … [Read more...] about U.S. media fights against Trump’s ‘fake news’ comments

WASHINGTON: The viral spread of hoaxes and misinformation ahead of the US election and Brexit referendum two years ago was a wake-up call for many established news media, who have gone on the offensive to shore up their credibility and help filter out fake news. Major media organizations, often in partnership with big technology and social media firms, have stepped up fact-checking and other steps to support fact-based journalism. But these efforts have been complicated by unrelenting attacks on the media by US President Donald Trump and others who tend to label any unfavourable coverage "fake news". The 'gatekeeper' role Fake news is as old as journalism itself, and reputable media organizations have often played a role of "gatekeeper" to reliable information. This role has been fundamentally challenged in the fast-moving internet age when rumours and false information can become viral, sometimes with tragic results. In one chilling example in India, a WhatsApp rumour warning that … [Read more...] about Fake news: The media industry strikes back

Less than a year before India’s general elections, the resignation of a BJP member has set politics abuzz. Shivam Shankar Singh was a key member of the BJP and till recently helped manage the state elections in Tripura. Singh is a data scientist and has worked closely with BJP’s national general secretary Ram Madhav. After studying economics at the University of Michigan, he came back to India and joined the BJP in 2013 to work for Modi’s election campaign. On Sunday, he penned a now-viral post explaining several issues that prompted him to leave the saffron party. The dailyReport Must-reads from across Asia - directly to your inbox Here is Singh’s post, reproduced in full: “Political discourse is at it’s lowest point in the country, at least in my lifetime. The partisanship bias is unbelievable and people continue to support their side no matter what the evidence, there is no remorse even when they’re proved to have been spreading fake … [Read more...] about Why I quit the BJP: Fake news, propaganda, polarization

Facebook is asking its users to decide how trustworthy news outlets are – and its survey is only two questions long. The social network has been repeatedly criticised over the spread of misinformation and hoaxes. Facebook argues it will look at how news sources are viewed across different demographics – but it’s not clear if “trustworthiness” is the best way to rank them. We’ve got our first look at the survey Facebook is going to use to assess how trustworthy news outlets are – and it’s only two questions long. After months of criticism over its role in the spread of misinformation and fake news, Facebook is making sweeping changes to its News Feed. The social network announced last week that rather than judging the reliability of news sources itself, it is going to ask users to assess their trustworthiness for themselves via surveys and then promote or demote the … [Read more...] about Facebook’s survey to assess the trustworthiness of news is only 2 questions long — but says that’s not an issue